While the driving was better, many were still concerned about hitting the roads or putting kids on bus stops, especially given the bone-numbing cold. Almost half of the Island’s public school students decided to stay home and declare their own snow day anyway.

It’s never good when a New York City mayor comes out on the losing end of a battle with Mother Nature, particularly snow.

Mayor John Lindsay got clobbered when the city was slow to react to a 1969 snowstorm. And Mayor Michael Bloomberg took a pounding when the city flubbed the 2010 Christmas blizzard.

“It was definitely a slow start,” said City Councilman Steven Matteo (R-Mid-Island). “I was concerned about parents picking kids up at school. But once they got the plows moving at night, it was a great job.”

“We’re all subjected to the whims of the weather,” said borough Democratic chair John Gulino. “Some people would complain no matter what.”

And de Blasio made further amends by talking about the snow cleanup during a dinner Friday night with GOP Borough President James Oddo.

The Island has often felt like an outcast when it comes to HHC. We are the only borough without a stand-alone HHC hospital, and officials for years have been pushing the city to at least spend more money out here, even if that didn’t mean a stand-alone facility.

And during the campaign, de Blasio spoke about correcting the inequity, with the city helping to shore up existing hospitals.

De Blasio said it was “mind-blowing to me” that the Island had no HHC hospital.

Putting an Islander like Dr. Raju at the head of the table is a sign that de Blasio meant what he said.

“I’m pleased it’s a Staten Island resident who knows the issues,” said Matteo. “Hopefully that will translate into substantive services for Staten Island, more stand-alone facilities to ease the emergency room burden.”

Gulino also applauded.

“He’s a qualified individual,” he said. “It’s important to have a voice in the administration.”

Now if de Blasio would only tell us whether he’ll brave the claws of Staten Island Chuck on Groundhog Day.